International consultancy of the year: Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick has enjoyed a successful year across the world, securing high single-digit global growth. The business has continued to grow its global footprint, launching the Weber Shandwick brand in Qatar and Kuwait and formalising its presence in India. Client wins included Abbott, Bank of America, Bausch & Lomb, Clear Channel, Electrolux Professional, Flora, Nespresso, Motorola, Westfield and Toyko 2020. Revenue from its top 40 UK clients increased by 21 per cent and almost 40 per cent of its European consumer work is now digital.

In the past 12 months, the agency conducted a major research project into the science of engagement, talking to experts in neuroscience, psychology and anthropology. The results are being used to help tackle PR in a more sophisticated manner for clients.

Content is the other hot media and marketing topic and, in March 2013, it launched Mediaco, a content creation and distribution unit to help companies with their media. In April 2013, it launched a team of more than 20 former scientists and science writers in the US to add firepower to its science clients.

Client work highlights include a social media-driven light show for Olympic sponsor EDF during London 2012, in which the EDF Energy London Eye was lit up in different colours each night, depending on how positive the UK’s tweets were on the Olympics that day. Work for Kraft Foods in the Netherlands led to a 30 per cent increase in volume sales year on year for TUC crackers.